Kaskade

Enough has already been said about Kaskade's Mormon upbringing in Salt Lake City. Blah, blah, blah – a little faith never prevented anyone from making good music, even if that music was meant to be played in the decadent world of nightclubs. But Kaskade, born Ryan Raddon, has always listed toward the brighter sides of the dance world, creating warm, friendly house music your girlfriend would like.

Signed to San Francisco's legendary Om Records for a large chunk of this decade, as Kaskade, he started out producing singles that aligned with that label's chunky, organic, slightly granola vibe. But as his profile grew, so did his public penchant for pop music. Eventually he left Om, along the way remixing for the likes of Madonna and Britney Spears. And although his latest release, The Grand, was a mix CD that came out earlier this year, Kaskade is now riding high on his 2008 artist album, Strobelite Seduction. Its single "Angel on My Shoulder," featuring soulful vocals from Tamra Keenan, is currently inescapable on local pop radio.